Microsoft Flight Simulator X For Pilots

Jeff Van West is a certified flight instructor in both single and multi- engine aircraft and editor of the professional pilot magazine IFR. He has written training curricula for both computer simulation and general aviation programs. Kevin Lane-Cummings is a pilot, flight instructor, educator, and technical communication professional. He has worked for aerospace megacorporations, science museums, flight schools, public TV stations, and Internet publishers.

About the Authors iii

Credits iv

Acknowledgments v

Part I: Preflight 1

Intro: Why Use Flight Simulator for Real-World Flying? 3

Why We Fly 4

How to Use This Book 4

Procedure Training vs. Scenario-Based Training 6

What’s on the Website 6

Chapter 1: Flight School Setup 9

Installing FSX 10

Looking at What’s New in FSX 10

Getting the Right Hardware 11

Processor, Memory, Video Cards 12

Monitors 13       

Flight Controls and Headsets 13

Adjusting Performance Settings 14

Organizing Your Cockpit 16

Key Flight Sim Commands 17

Use of Slew for Practice 19

Using the FSX Built-in Flight Lessons 19

Selecting a Real-World Flight School 20

Aircraft Types 20

Environment 20

Instructor 21

Costs 21

Introductory Flight 23

Working with Your Flight Instructor 23

FSX as Part of a Lesson 23

Shared Cockpit 24

Using the Practical Test Standards 25

Plugging in to Pilot Communities 26

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 28

Chapter 2: First Flight in the Piper J-3 Cub 29

Flight Fundamentals for the Pilot 30

We All Have Our Limits 31

The Four Fundamental Gaits of Flight 32

Visualize Your Control Surfaces 33

Trim 36

First Flight in the Cub 38

Start the Engine 40

Taxi 42

Takeoff 44

Practice the First Three Gaits and Trim 46

Make Turns 47

The Tail’s Balancing Act 49

Fly Once Around the Lake 50

Approach the Airport 51

Land 52

Rollout 54

Takeoffs, Landings, and Go-Arounds 54

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 56

Part II: Sport Pilot 57

Chapter 3: Ground Reference Maneuvers 59

The Effects of Wind 60

A River of Air 60

Heading, Course, and Track 61

Ground Reference Maneuvers with Wind 63

Coordinated and Uncoordinated Flight 63

Ground Reference Maneuvers Flight 63

Rectangular Course 65

Turns Around a Point 68

S-Turns 70

Steep Turns 73

Crosswind Takeoffs 75

Forward Slip 77

Sideslip and Crosswind Landings 80

Ridiculous Winds 83

Maximum Demonstrated Crosswind 83

Worst Crosswinds—Kona, Hawaii 85

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 86

Chapter 4: Airport Operations 87

Uncontrolled and Controlled Airport Operations 88

Airport Procedures 88

Radio Communications 95

Other Aircraft 98

Airport Weather and Notices 99

Post Mills to Lebanon Municipal 102

Startup 103

Taxi and Takeoff 104

Approach and Landing 105

Depart for Lebanon 106

Approaching Lebanon 109

Land and Taxi 109

Take the Cub to Beantown 109

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 113

Chapter 5: Old-Fashioned Navigation 115

Planning a Trip 116

Reading Charts 117

A Route from A to B 118

Dead Reckoning 119

Pilotage 120

The FSX Flight Planner 121

How High to Fly 123

Fly Left, Look Right 125

Who Owns This Airspace? 125

Moving Loads, Burning Gas 130

A Multileg Flight Using Pilotage 132

Take Off and Turn South 132

Seriously Dead Reckoning 139

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 141

Chapter 6: Emergencies 143

In-Flight Emergencies 144

Immediate-Action Emergencies 145

Urgent Situations 148

Emergency Training 149

Power-Off Descent 150

Rapid Descent 153

Oddball Emergencies 155

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 157

Chapter 7: Performance Takeoffs and Landings 159

Aerodynamics of Performance 160

Takeoff and Landing Calculations 160

Rate and Angle of Climb and Descent 162

Short-Field and Soft-Field Procedures 163

Short Runways 164

Soft Runways 167

Off-Airport Operations 170

Yet Another Runway Surface 171

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 172

Chapter 8: Slow Flight, Stalls, and Spins 173

Taking it Slowly 174

The Aerodynamics of Slow Flight 174

The Separation Begins 175

Stalls with a Twist: Spins 176

Taking the Cub for a Spin 178

Slow Down 178

Power-off, or Arrival, Stalls 181

Departure, or Power-on, Stalls 182

Now for Some Spin 183

Catching the Bus 186

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 187

Part III: Private Pilot 189

Chapter 9: First Flight in the Cessna 172SP 191

Transition to the Cessna 172SP 192

Modern Aircraft Instruments 194

The Flap About Flaps 199

Other System Differences 201

Checkout Flight in the Cessna 172SP 206

Engine Start 207

Radios Use 207

Taxiing and Runup 208

Takeoff and Climb 209

Basic Maneuvers 210

Approach and Landing 214

Advanced Maneuvers 215

Performance Takeoffs and Landings 216

Emergency Procedures 217

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 220

Chapter 10: Radio Navigation with Tradional Avionics 221

Follow the Invisible Road 222

Finding the Beacon 222

Flying a Radial 224

But How Far Away are You? 232

Flying with GPS 233

Flying Cross-Country with Radio Navigation 235

Off You Go 237

The First Turn 238

North to Duluth 239

Giving George the Controls 239

Direct with GPS 242

Getting Unlost and Going Elsewhere 244

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 246

Chapter 11: First Flight with the G1000 247

Welcome to the Age of Glass 248

A Distributed System 249

The Primary Flight Display 249

The Radios 256

The Multifunction Flight Display 258

G1000 Cross-Country 263

Getting Set Up 263

Taking Off 266

Staying on Top of Things 267

Using VORs 268

Try it with a Crosswind 270

No Wind Vector!? 270

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 271

Chapter 12: Night Flight 273

When Darkness Falls 274

Vision and Illusions 274

Night Flying Techniques 278

Lights 280

Emergencies 284

Night Flight in the Cessna 172SP 285

Departure 285

On Course 287

Arrival at Flying Cloud 288

Night Flight in the G1000 289

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 290

Chapter 13: Weather 291

Weather Theory and Data 292

Weather Hazards

Weather Controls and Effects

The Joy of Scud Running 301

Scud Run in Cessna 172 with G1000 306

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 307

Chapter 14: Maximizing Performance 309

Quick, Clean, and Cool 310

No Replacement for Displacement 310

A New, Blue Control 311

Stuff Hanging Down and Sticking Out 312

Introducing Flight Profiles 314

Fly Fast in a Mooney 317

Getting Everything in Position 317

Pouring on the Coals 319

Climb, Clean, Cool, Communicate 319

Picking Up Speed 321

Coming Downhill 322

Combinations Count 322

Going Down and Slowing Down 323

Arriving at the Airport 324

Approaching for Landing 324

Landing 326

Mooney under Glass 328

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 330

Part IV: Instrument Rating 331

Chapter 15: Basic Attitude Instrument Flying 333

Fly in the Clouds 334

IFR Ground Checks 334

The IFR Scan: Attitude is Everything 336

The Autopilot 338

IFR Weather 339

IMC Flight in Mooney Bravo 340

Basic IFR Maneuvers 342

Advanced IFR Maneuvers

Heading Home

IFR Flight with Garmin G1000 347

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 349

Chapter 16: IFR Flight 351

Flight Plan Creation 352

ATC and Flight Plans 352

Instrument Charts 354

Departure Procedures 355

En Route Operations 360

Arrival Procedures 369

IFR Flight to a Visual Approach 370

Preflight 371

Flight 374

Departures, Holds, and Arrivals 378

Flight Plan 378

Departure 380

Hold (No Wind) 381

Hold (Wind) 383

Arrival 384

Garmin G1000 385          

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 386

Chapter 17: Instrument Approaches 387

The Final Miles Between Heaven and Earth 388

The Instrument Approach Plate 388

VOR Approaches 390

Localizer Approaches 403

The Big Kahuna: ILS Approaches 407 

Down Through the Muck: Flying Approaches 409

A VOR at KPAE 409

A LOC at KAWO 423

An ILS at KPAE 429

String PAE AWO BFI Together 436

Do it with Wind 437

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 439

Chapter 18: GPS Approaches 441

No Ground Station Needed 442

A Basic GPS Approach 442

Overlay Approaches 444

RNAV Approaches 446

GPS Sensitivity 449

Using the GPS 450

Fly Some GPS with a Six-Pack 455

KSHN GPS Rwy 23 455

RNAV Rwy 34 Approach at KFHR 471

The VOR or GPS Rwy 6 at KHQM 480

Instrument Approaches on the G1000 489

GPS Rwy 1 at KPWT 490

ILS 17 at KTIW 498

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 503

Chapter 19: Additional Instrument Approaches 505

More Ways to Get Around and Down 506

NDB Approaches 506

DME Arcs 509

Localizer Back-Course Approaches 512

Visual and Contact Approaches 518

Circle to Land 523

Multiple Approaches—Calm Wind 526

An NDB at KTIW 527

A DME Arc at KOLM 531

A Back Course at KSLE 533

A Contact Approach at KBFI 535

Multiple Approaches—with Wind 537

NDB Approach with Wind 537

DME Arc with Wind 538

LOC BC Approach with Wind 539

Combo with a Side of Wind 539

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 541

Chapter 20: IFR Emergencies 543

IFR Emergencies in Theory 544

Partial-Panel Flying 544

Other IMC Emergencies 551

Recovery from Unusual Attitudes 555

Lost Communication 557

IFR Emergencies in Practice 562

Partial Panel 562

Electrical Failure 563

Unusual Attitude Recovery 564

Unexpected Emergencies 565

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 567

Part V: Commercial License 569

Chapter 21: Multiengine Flying in the Beechcraft Baron 571

Flying Multiengine Airplanes 572

Redline and Blueline 572

Some Other Baron Points 574

Getting Up to Speed in the Baron 577

Taxi the Twin 579

A Lean Machine 580

The Takeoff Briefing 581

Patience, Patience 581

Flight Profiles for the Baron 582

Baron on the Gauges 587

Doing Performance Takeoffs and Landings 591

What Makes the Field Short? 592

Crosswind Approaches 594

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 596

Chapter 22: Commercial Flight Maneuvers 597

Loading and Performance 598

Weight 598

CG and Aircraft Performance 600

Flight Maneuvers—Eights on Pylons 603

Commercial Flight Maneuvers 605

Steep Turns 606

Slow Flight and Stalls 607

Weight and Balance Flight Testing 609

Single Engine–Only Maneuvers 609

Steep Spiral 609

Emergency Approach and Landing 610

Chandelles 611

Lazy Eights 613

Eights on Pylons 615

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 616

Chapter 23: Flying with One Feathered 617

One Engine Down 618

Single-Engine Aerodynamics 618

Engine-out Procedures 624

Single-Engine Approaches and Landings 627

What’s Happening Here? 627

Single-Engine ILS 633

Single-Engine GPS Approach 634

Single-Engine Crosswind Landings 635

Additional Single-Engine Work 636

Engine Failure on Takeoff 636

VMC Demo 638

Drag Demo 639

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 641

Part VI: ATP and Beyond 643

Chapter 24: Multiplayer 645

Sharing the Virtual Skies 646

How Multiplayer Works 646

Getting into Multiplayer 647

Hosting a Multiplayer Session 649

Setting Up Shared Aircraft 653

Joining a Multiplayer Session 654

Playing Well with Others 657

Let’s Chat 658

Radio Chatter 658

Flying with Other Airplanes 661

Flying with Another Pilot 662

Climbing into the Tower 665

Your World, Their World 669

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 670

Chapter 25: Virtual Airlines and Online Flying 671

Virtual Airlines 672

Finding a Virtual Airline 673

Hubs and Pilot Bases 674

Moving Up the Ranks 674

Multiplayer 675

Online Flying 676

Starting Out 677

Communication 678

Training and Experience 679

Real (Virtual) Controllers 680

Events 684

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 685

Chapter 26: Virtual Air Traffic Control 687

Pushing Tin 688

Software Requirements 689

Becoming a Controller 690

The Radar Screen 691

Communication 695

Working with Other Controllers 696

ATC Positions from the Ground Up 698

Clearance Delivery 698

Ground Control 700

Tower (Local) Control 701

Approach (and Departure) Control 704

En Route (Center) Control 706

Key Points for Real Flying and FSX Built-ins 708

Chapter 27: Conclusion 709

Pelican’s Perspective 710

Index 711